PHOTOS: First look at free Oakland to Alameda water shuttle

( KRON ) — A free water shuttle that will take riders to and from Oakland and Alameda in less than 10 minutes will open soon. Transportation officials announced that the Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle (OAWS) will open on July 17.

The OAWS, otherwise known as Woodstock, will be open from Wednesday to Sunday every week for the next two years. It will offer 37 daily trips that are estimated to take under 10 minutes. The ferry is free to ride, and bicyclists are welcome.

The 45-foot vessel will operate between public docks at Bohol Circle Immigration Park at the foot of Alameda’s 5th Street as well as Broadway in Oakland’s Jack London Square. The Woodstock will also be run by SF Bay Ferry, which currently operates transbay ferries connecting Oakland and Alameda to San Francisco and Peninsula destinations.

"This is a great example of communities and partners working together to connect growing job and population centers with new services that will get travelers out of their cars and onto public transit," said Jim Wunderman, Chair of SF Bay Ferry's Board of Directors. “I look forward to partnering on more pilot services like this in the coming years," he said.

The first ride on the OAWS is planned to depart the Oakland dock at 7:00 AM on Wednesday, July 17. The full-service schedule is available at www.watershuttle.org

The yellow Woodstock boat was initially purchased from a tour operator in Buffalo, New York. It has since been trucked across the country to a boatyard in Richmond for repairs and has had accessible bike and wheelchair modifications added.

The modifications were made by Romero’s Wielding in Vallejo.

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